ACRA

The busy summer months in the upper valley are coming to an end. News director Carolyn Sackariason has been digging into summer occupancy numbers for both Aspen and Snowmass. She discusses them with producer Christin Kay.

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Aspen and Snowmass Village are in the middle of the busiest week of the of the year. And as Aspen Public Radio’s Carolyn Sackariason reports, there is barely any room left around the resort.

Traffic jams, chairlift lines, planes stacked up on the runway and standing-room only in the airport, indicate the estimated 98 or 99 percent occupancy this week at hotels. This is what full feels like.

The Aspen Skiing is looking differently at how to lure new customers to the slopes. Today, the company and the chamber of commerce are hosting a keynote speaker at the Sundeck who knows what the young people want. Aspen Public Radio’s Carolyn Sackariason spoke with Skico’s David Perry about what the business community can expect to learn.

He, along with other industry officials, will speak Thursday afternoon beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the top of Aspen Mountain.

The Roaring Fork Valley broke records for visitors last summer. So far Aspen and Snowmass Village are on track to be even busier, and more expensive, this summer. Resort tracker DestiMetrics says overnight bookings across the West are up about 8.5% compared to last year. Aspen and Snowmass Village are seeing about the same numbers.

The Aspen Chamber Resort Association has detailed how it’s not spending tax dollars on a campaign against a city ballot question. The Chamber is under fire for participating in a push to defeat Referendum 1. If passed, it would require a public vote for certain kinds of development. Critics say a publicly funded organization like the Chamber should not be using taxpayer dollars to defeat the referendum.

All this week, we’re taking a look at the challenges of working and living in Aspen. To some it appears that Aspen is steadily pricing out middle class residents and would be future residents. In our first report we go to the downtown core where businesses face rising rents and increasingly slow off-seasons. To survive many retailers must cater almost exclusively to high-dollar customers. For some stores, the struggle is worth it. Others have all but given up. Aspen Public Radio’s Marci Krivonen has our story.